2012 Don Melchor
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Tasting notes
93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 15 months in French oak barrels (71% new, 29% second-use). Made when Enrique had to commute back and forth from Bordeaux. Dark garnet. Damp rope nose. Unusual for this wine! Rather big and sweet without quite enough definition and freshness for me. Pretty hot year. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Dense, rich, chocolatey, wonderfully svelte texture. Rounded tannic feel. Long and rich and fulfilling. Extremely savoury finish; not the slightest betrayal of the Chilean cliché of red wine with green flavour. Delicious – and should be kept, really. (RH)
The 2012 Don Melchor, which in that ripe and warm vintage contained some 7% Cabernet Franc, has a showy nose with ripe blackberries that develop minty aromas with some time in the glass. The grapes are selected from their 127 hectares of vineyards in the zone, and fermented in small stainless steel vats to separate the different plots that are kept apart until after malolactic, when they are tasted and the blend is decided in July (the grapes are harvested between mid April and mid-May). The wine aged for 15 moths in French oak barrels, 70% of which were new. The palate is juicy with round tannins and good volume of fruit with the softness of a ripe vintage, showing the expressive aromas of the year. 91,200 bottles produced. This wine will be sold in March 2016.
7% Cabernet Franc. Picked at the beginning of April. Rather hotter and drier than usual. Rather elixir-like. Very rich, sweet nose. Note of tea leaf but mainly very fruity with some still-chewy tannins and just a hint of leafiness. Big and bold. Velvety. (JR)